Choosing
by Lyiem
Summary: When Chihiro makes a choice, giving her back everything, but granting her nothing, she can only trust and rely on a promise.


**A/N:** I recently rewatched Spirited Away (best movie ever!) and had the urge to write this. First published 2/11/12, edited and republished 1/4/13.

* * *

**Choosing**

* * *

The sun shined brightly, peeking through the few fluffy clouds that occasionally wandered across its face. There was a slight breeze ruffling the treetops and drying the clothes hanging on the line that stretched from building to building.

Sen paid her surroundings no attention as she and Kohaku ran through the streets and straight to the bathhouse. They skidded to a stop when Sen realized that everybody was waiting for her at the entrance, her eyes lighting up in alarm.

"Did something ha –" She faltered when Kohaku turned his grim faced to her. "When I came to get you, Yubaba had promised me one thing. She is willing to let your parents go free, as long as you pass her challenge."

Sen's eyes widened, and she looked to Kohaku in shock. _I have a chance? To free my parents?_

The huge and old woman in front of her huffed impatiently, and stomped her foot. "Sen! I have a challenge for you, if you choose to accept it." She took a step to the side, and Sen could see that behind her was a pen of pigs, all looking quite like the pigs her parents were turned into. "Which one of these pigs are your parents?" Yubaba snickered quietly behind the fan she was holding to her face. She sang out, "Choose wisely."

The small girl had never felt so terrified before, even compared to the few moments her life was at stake. Two of those pigs were her parents? How could she possible choose which ones, when she couldn't even remember what her parents looked like? When there weren't any differences in each pig?

Taking a deep breath, she looked at each pig in the eyes. That one had black eyes, the one over there had gray eyes, and the one on the right had brown eyes…just like her mom? _No, it's impossible! _Sen cried in her head and wanted to kneel down, but she stopped herself before she could. _I can't look weak now, but –there's no way I could pick._

Sen closed her eyes. The onlookers glanced at Sen nervously, and she could hear them tap their feet. _Could they be giving me a hint? _She peeked out from under her eyelids at them only to see Yubaba right in front of her still, a grand smirk still on her face. She would never allow them to do that, Sen realized.

"I –I pick…" What was Sen doing? She had no idea who her parents were! "I pick…" Sen looked fearfully into Yubaba's eyes. Yubaba had a knowing look in her eyes, as if she knew Sen would never get it right. Mischief and power were at the forefront, and Sen could not tell if there was any fear of her getting the answer right in there.

"Yes? Yes, what did you pick?" Yubaba smiled too sweetly, her teeth glinting. "Did you say something?"

"I..." Sen started "I pick…" _No. Something's not right. This is wrong, Yubaba would never…_Sen closed her eyes, thinking. She tried to recall the last time she saw her parents, trying to remember if there was a birthmark or distinguishing feature on them. _My mind's too fuzzy, I can't think clearly!"_

"I pick…" _You can do it, Sen. You can remember, _Kohaku's voice seemed to tell her, and Sen's mind suddenly felt crystal clear. She opened her eyes and immediately looked into Yubaba's deep and dark ones.

Without looking at the pen filled with pigs behind Yubaba, or second-guessing her answer, Sen replied to the question unhesitatingly. "None of those pigs are my parents."

Yubaba's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, and after a moment, she had gathered her wits about her and smirked even bigger than before. "Are you sure?"

Sen held the woman's cold and piercing gaze. "Yes, it is. None of these pigs are my parents," she repeated confidently. Abruptly, fear took over her, and she retracted her hand from her side and covered her mouth in shock.

But with a poof, the contract in Yubaba's hand disappeared, and the pigs turned into the servants of the bathhouse, most of which Sen recognized.

"Well, looks like you passed. Congratulations," The old witch bit out sarcastically. She wanted to say more, but the onlookers around them began to whoop and cheer, genuinely happy for the human that had befriended them all.

Sen looked around happily, and thought to herself, _This is my family, right here._But she had no time to follow that train of thought, for she heard her name –_her real name_ –coming from behind her.

With a smile, _Chihiro_turned around, and ran to her friend, her savior. As she joined Kohaku, Spirit of the Kohaku River, the ten year old girl waved to the spirits at the bathhouse.

He grabbed her hand and took off running, and Chihiro struggled to keep up with his fast pace. The two quickly ran down the steps, and down the road, and she recognized the path they were taking to be the one leading to the lake that separated the real world from the spirit world.

"Where are my mom and dad?" Chihiro managed to ask breathlessly.

Kohaku didn't look at her, and kept on running, when he replied, "They were turned back into humans right when you passed the test. Your parents are at the exit; they're waiting for you."

Soon, Chihiro and Kohaku reached the edge of the Spirit World. Chihiro was shocked. "There's no water here!" Chihiro gasped. "I can walk across now!"

"…but I can't go any further," Kohaku quietly admitted. He turned to face Chihiro, and grabbed her hands. "Just go back the way you came, you'll be fine. But remember, _don't look back,_not until you pass the tunnel. You have to promise me that, Chihiro."

"But what about you? What will you do?"

"Don't worry," He grinned, "I'll go back and have a _talk_with Yababa. I'm going to quit being her apprentice." He stepped closer to her. "I'll be fine, I have my name back." _Thanks to you,_he thought.

Chihiro's expression suddenly grew serious. "Will we meet again sometime?"

"Sure we will," was the quick reply.

"Promise?" Squeaked Chihiro.

"….Promise," he whispered to her. "Now go. And don't ever look back."

Chihiro slowly moved forward, towards the exit. As her eyes left Haku's face, so did her hands, and they separated.

Kohaku missed the feel of their hands together as soon as Chihiro's small hand left his large ones. His hand slowly went back to its place by his side.

He watched Chihiro run down the path to her parents, who were standing by the gate. Wind whipped his hair around his face, and cut his skin. He realized with dismay that his cheeks were wet, and as he watched the small human girl that he had saved many years ago run away from him, another tear ran down his face.

"Chihiro! Where have you been, hurry up!"

Chihiro's eyes lighted up from seeing her parents. _They were no longer pigs!_"Mom, Dad!" She wanted so badly to touch them again, hug them, make sure it wasn't a dream, like how she thought it _was_a dream when they first turned into pigs.

"Why are you so slow?" Lectured her mom. " I don't want to be late for the movers."

"You're going to be in _big_trouble, missy." Her dad gave Chihiro a stern look, and turned around, heading back through the tunnels. Chihiro's mom quickly followed, motioning for her daughter to com with."

"Are you guys sure you're all right?" Chihiro asked shrilly, her voice ringing through the tunnel from her place next to it.

"Hurry _up!_"

Chihiro felt like she could cry. Her parents didn't remember a thing at all! Or was it….. She thought to herself, did it really happen? All of that? _Could_it have happened? It wasn't possible, right? Parents-turned-pigs, stink spirits, giant babies, all of that was impossible, fiction, _wasn't it?_

And yet, Chihiro remembered, it _had_happened. It couldn't have all been a dream. Chihiro wanted to turn around, see the bath house, remember that she was _Sen_before, but she caught herself just in time.

_No,_Chihiro reminded herself, _if it's really real, I can't look back. And if it's not real, there's no point in looking back anyways, because there wouldn't be anything there, right?_

But it had felt so _real._So _right,_so much so that Chihiro could not believe that it was only in her head.

_He promised. _Chihiro chanted. _He promised, he promised, he promised. I'll see him again. I'll be back. I'll visit, and maybe I can ask Kohaku to come back with me to the real world once in a while, and we can see each other again, and we could –we could –_Chihiro looked down to the ground, at her hands, remembering how they were just holding his hands moments ago.

_Can I really go back?_

Chihiro turned her face sideways again, and was just on the tip of leaving one category (looking straight) to go to another one (looking back).

_My parents are going out the tunnel. My friends are back at the bathhouse. I….I…_

"Chihiro!" _He promised._

Chihiro ran through the tunnel, never looking back, and a small boy sat on a hilltop, never looking away.


End file.
